Katie here, I’ve been a part of the Nyingma community for about three years now. I was first introduced to this special organization through volunteering at Odiyan with my other half, Kris Klark. We joined the Garden Crew in September of 2019 after living on Maui for six months as property caretakers.

Our crew of Yuji, Kris, and I are beginning to see the space transform into what it will ultimately look like. One part of the project that’s nearly complete is the construction of the pond. We just recently waterproofed it with a spray on liner called polyurea. I’m told it’s essentially flexible enough to withstand even the strongest of earthquakes. We are preparing to install a pump and filtration system that will supply water to the six waterfall features that have been installed. After that all that’s left is to face the wall in stone, which I’m really excited about.

In addition to the near completion of the pond, the electrical and drainage are all being put into place. Lots of digging. Whew. Luckily an excavator is on its way. We’re also preparing to pour concrete piers for the foundation of the stairs that will lead from the lower walkway up to the garden.

After volunteering at Odiyan for two years and being involved in sacred art and text preservation, as well as the simplicities of day to day life, I am excited to once again be involved with the Nyingma community and contribute to such a lovely project. Seeing this space slowly turn from a construction zone to a beautiful serene garden and place for practice is very satisfying. Our crew can’t wait until this space is complete so our community and public can finally be able to use it.

We have some work to do before the next blog post, but we look forward to sharing more updates! I hope everyone is as healthy and happy as they can be in these certainly unusual and frightening times.